Welcome to our new Volunteering Platform

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Our New Volunteer Mangement Platform!

As we are now cautiously moving out of the emergency response to Covid-19, we have taken this opportunity to move onto a new and improved digital volunteer recruitment platform. We know that a lot of charities and community groups are facing difficulties none of us could have predicted so we are delighted to announce this to you all.. This will offer a much more flexible and efficient way of managing your recruitment of volunteers through Volunteer Centre Bexley, and help channel the outpour of support directly into strengthening our sector.

Moving forward with Volunteering

A lot has changed in the last 4 months. As part of the voluntary sector, we have always known how vital our work is to keep our borough safe and supported. Something we didn’t necessarily expect through this crisis is how many Bexley residents now see how vital our work is, too. We’re in a unique position where we have hundreds of people eager to do what they can to support charities and community groups across the borough. We’ve seen this through the volunteer applications that have come our way- over 1000 volunteers within days- and we know that volunteers are going to be vital in supporting us to recover from the impact of Covid-19.

We need to make sure we use this opportunity to build relationships with the people that are volunteering to help. We have a lot of unique challenges coming our way so want to invite you, as you upload your opportunities onto our new platform, to think about volunteering in a new way. Here are some key areas to think about while we adjust to ‘the new normal’:

One-off or Short-Term Volunteering:

With people starting to go back to work, some people might find that occasional or short term volunteering opportunities suit them a bit more. For example, if you have the job of cleaning or repainting your meeting spaces following a few months of neglect- that is something a volunteer could help with. Some organisations, like Good Gym or Isolation Help Bexley, are already harnessing the power of this kind of volunteering.

Bringing in new
skills:

We have also come across an amazing variety of volunteers with specific skill sets. Carers, project managers, social media whizzes, digital heroes- they’re all local and ready to help. Think about developing a volunteering role that asks someone to share their insight with you or provide some training. Especially when we think of digital skills- we’ve had to learn so much so quickly, but could we be bringing in experts to help our long term changes?

Our team is here to help with this. If it all feels jumbled and unclear, a quick chat with us could make all the difference. We know the last few months have been incredibly difficult for you all, and it’s hard to rethink something like this when you’re spinning so many plates, but we want you to make the most of the volunteers waiting to help.

We can support you through zoom call, phone call, or via email. Just let us know by contacting us on the details below:

0300 302 0056, BexleyVC@bvsc.co.uk

Accessing the New Website

What's new with this new platform?

1. You can create your volunteering opportunity direct on our platform and our team can easily approve it so it's visible on our website.

2. Volunteer applications will come directly to you!

3. When a volunteer creates their account and enters in their interests, they’ll see a list of everything that matches them- what a time saver!

So, how do you login and get your opportunities out there?

Logging in

So, how do you login and get your opportunities out there?

1. Click the button below to access the website and reset your password
2. Using the email address that we have sent this to, enter your email and press ‘Reset Password’. This will send an email with a password to your email address. Use this to log in.
3. Once you enter your account, you'll be able to set your own new password and get started. It sounds easy enough but don't hesitate to contact us if it goes awry!

We have attached a more step by step guide to this email for anyone who needs it.

Note: Please don’t register your organisation! We moved a lot of things to this system from our old one so creating a new one will most likely make a duplicate and cause some communication problems going forward! If you have received this email, you have an account ready and waiting.

Click here to start!

Uploading your opportunity

1. Create your opportunity and submit it, it will go to our team for us to approve onto our website. If we have suggestions that might help your volunteer recruitment, we will be in touch to go through these with you.

2. When we approve your opportunity, your opportunity will go live on our website for volunteers to apply to!

Hints and Tips for using the platform:

Is your email not recognised?

Please let us know! Send an email to bexleyvc@bvsc.co.uk with information on which email address you want to use and we’ll sort it out as fast as we can.

Want to add another colleague to your account?

Send an email to bexleyvc@bvsc.co.uk with your colleagues details (including their full name, job role, email) and we'll get it set up for them.

Want to change your organisations details?

Go to your main page and edit the details there. It's a great idea to add your website and social media so potential volunteers can find them easily and get to know you.

Want some help with writing an opportunity?

We'll be launching this platform to volunteers towards the end of the month so there's not long for you to think about your volunteer opportunities and get them all ready for applications. O

A change in process is usually a great chance to revisit the way you do things and see where you can change or adapt. There’s a lot to do, but there’s an overwhelming amount of support in the borough for you right now- including us.

All the best,

The Volunteer Centre Bexley Team